[yu]

http://channels.netscape.com/autos/p...=au-main-01-l1

(No offense to those on here.)

[JonnyCrash]

Originally Posted by YuBimmer

http://channels.netscape.com/autos/p...=au-main-01-l1

I can't decide if I want to throw up or cry. Good for the parents who can afford to buy these cars for their children, perhaps, but whatever happened to teaching kids the value of a dollar?

Drive safe.

[Barry626]

Originally Posted by Mr.Abulia

but whatever happened to teaching kids the value of a dollar?

Went out the window in the pass 25 years.

Funny thing is parents will get just what they deserve.
Their kids will live with them well into their 40's.

When they die & they will. Adult kids won't have a clue!

[icedragon]

Well, luxury cars also tend to be safer than econo-box cars.
So in a way, the parents are ensuring their safety. An E90 is safer than a Civic.

[E90-4life]

For my kids first car, I'll most def. get them something nice, but it will be tried and true... and that my freinds, won't be for a lonnnnnnng time.

[yu]

I'll be honest, I'm kinda spoiled. But whenever I have kids of my own, I won't be spoiling them. I'll be shopping at Wal-Mart for their clothes if they're even that lucky. They'll be driving my BMW whenever they learn to drive while I buy myself a Lamborghini. My kids will hate me.

[krndanic307]

Wow that's so true. They forgot to put the G35 and 350z. I'll be ok if I had an Civic EK with the money for a B18c5 =]. But parents wouldn't let me have a japanese car.

[Arby 330]

i drive a 330... in 17. Theres nothing wrong with me at all. If you saw me in real life youd have no idea that i drive a bmw. People always are suprised to find out that my family has money. My mom wanted to get me a 525 because its a safe slow car. I convinced them to order me a volvo S60R(safe car), with a manual transmision, if i got certain grades in school. I got those and then my parents said lets stop by the bmw. I wanted my volvo so when my mom was like, "how bout the 5 series" i said "im getting the s60, i wouldnt want any of these cars because they arnt half as nice. Maybe only the 545"... my mom goes "well lets take it for a test drive". My parents decided that they didnt want to get me the volvo because they thought it would be safer to get a bmw with an auto tranny. I got my mom to give my dad permission for the 545 and we went and ordered it. The dealer wasnt going to get any build allocations until the 550 came out and i didnt think they would get me the even bigger engine, pay the extra money, or wait the 3 months longer and not have a car to drive around. They had a new 330 in the showroom with the same color/interior/trim so i said dad lets get that one. My mom was out of town when me and my dad switched the car i was getting.

thats how i got my 330.... suprisingly enough my mom wants to sell my 330 because its too "small and sporty" and because she knows that tehcnicly the 5 series is a safer car.

I dont flaunt my money around or have anything nice. I only have a nice car which my parents use as leverage in order to get me to do things.

rb

[E90-4life]

THere's a girl in my neigborhood that has a brand new 645Ci on ACS rims... now that's spoiled.

[siriusinvestor]

Originally Posted by YuBimmer

http://channels.netscape.com/autos/p...=au-main-01-l1

(No offense to those on here.)

Yeah that list seems just about right, when I was attending HS which was only about 2 yrs ago, practically ever other car in the parking lot was an E46. I don't think I remember seeing a non-XI model.

I remember couple of kids that drove the remodeled Range Rover.

[E90-4life]

It's kinda crazy to think of some kids getting first cars that many adults could only dream of ever acquiring.

[blke90man]

I was anticipating a 97' teal honda civic lx for my 16th birthday (Dec 26). It was my dad's commuter and I was more than happy to take it off his hands. I just wanted to drive...any car would do. Come christmas morning, I open the last present, and it's the key for the civic. I go outside because my dad tells me he put some new wheels on it. I step into the garage and there is a 1999 jet black 323i with a big bow on it. I was in shock, I couldn't believe that my dad did this for me. It was a CPO with 46000 miles on, but it was all mine and I was so surprised. Two months later I got a job and sarted paying 200 a month towards the car. My dad never asked me for money, but for some reason I always felt better knowing that I was helping pay my own way. Now I have and e90 and still pay for half the car. I just couldn't imagine actually going to the dealership and picking out a $40,000 car for my 16th birthday...no matter how much money my family has, it seems a little selfish if you ask me.

[deutschmann59]

If I had some extra bucks and kids, I would spoil them every chance I'd get! Maybe not a brand new M model bimmer, but you know.

I think it's bad for kids to have a luxury car as their first car, though. Sure it's more safe and they'd be the envy of all their friends, but it teaches them the wrong things at a young age. If they've got $40,000 car and are just 16, obviously their egos will inflate and their pride will eventually get the better of them.

In the end, no one really cares what kind of car you drive. And after a while, you realize that all this expensive stuff isn't as important as the commercials would lead us to believe. But would some 16 year old kid with a $40,000 car actually appreciate it?

The only one that cares and should care is YOU. Whether you're an enthusiast or just need a status symbol, you will be the only one that really, truly cares.

[Jay_328]

Middle class families purchase 15 - 25k priced cars for their kids all the time. So I assume even more wealthy families purchase cars in the 30k and higher range for their kids. Not a big deal.

A family friend just purchased a new black Mercedes SLK for his 16 year old daughter. And another will give his 16 yr old son a white Civic SI for Christmas. It sort of all equals out depending on each family's income and lifestyle. I'm sure both kids are going to be extremely happy.

[BMRAMA]

Spoiling anyone is a bad idea. There's a reason why we use the same word to describe decaying organic matter and someone who takes everything for granted.

That said, I think the 325i makes an excellent first car. Most importantly, it's one forgiving automobile. The steering is immediate and precise, the traction control is clairvoyant, and the brakes have great feel. This car is tremendously easier to drive than the 1993 Honda Accord which I started out in. Even though I didn't have any accidents in that Honda, there were some close calls that wouldn't have happened in an e90.

The 325i also does make a lot of financial sense. A basic one, suitable for a first time driver, might run $31,000 + tax. Just an automatic and maybe the nice sound system or Xenons. A kid can drive it for a few years, or even 10, and it will still have a solid resale value. Plus, the included maintence and warranty.

The 325i is cheap to insure. I am 22 and drove a 2000 Honda Accord prior to my e90. I pay $20 more a month for a car worth 4 times as much. I think thats a very reasonable difference considering the vehicle's cost.

There are more points, but the last one I'll end on comes back to how forgiving the car is. With maintence every 15000 miles'ish, and included for 50k miles, you don't have to worry about your kid forgetting to get the oil changed, or worse, avoiding it because they don't want to pay to have it done.

I love my e90, and regardless of the price it's a fantastic car. Maybe it will be my son or daughter's first car :-)

[E90-4life]

I knew a kid in highschool who was incredibly ill mannered and beyond just out right rude... He had a brand new 01' 325Ci coupe, this kid thought he was the absolute shiznit. Low and behold on the way home from a party one night he's driving and crashes into a tree, his car is totaled... then what? His parents went right back on out and bought him the SAME kinda car, different color, and the kids personality only got worse. I'm not generalizing all kids that have nice cars at a very young age, but in a lot of cases it really doesn't do much for kids who already dont' respect what they have to give them something nice.

[siriusinvestor]

Originally Posted by E90-4life

I knew a kid in highschool who was incredibly ill mannered and beyond just out right rude... He had a brand new 01' 325Ci coupe, this kid thought he was the absolute shiznit. Low and behold on the way home from a party one night he's driving and crashes into a tree, his car is totaled... then what? His parents went right back on out and bought him the SAME kinda car, different color, and the kids personality only got worse. I'm not generalizing all kids that have nice cars at a very young age, but in a lot of cases it really doesn't do much for kids who already dont' respect what they have to give them something nice.

Haha same exact situation in my HS with this girl and her Audi A4. It was fully loaded with the 19in sport package rims, the works. 2 months after getting the car she rear ended someone. Her parents wrote it off and bought a brand new A4, same exact specifications. Oh yeah I think you can assume she was snobby as hell.

[Arby 330]

Originally Posted by siriusinvestor

Haha same exact situation in my HS with this girl and her Audi A4. It was fully loaded with the 19in sport package rims, the works. 2 months after getting the car she rear ended someone. Her parents wrote it off and bought a brand new A4, same exact specifications. Oh yeah I think you can assume she was snobby as hell.

"but daddy i want a new one, and i want it now!" Did someone have ocd about dents in their car, cuz cant you normally fix a car thats been rear ended?

[E90-4life]

that's the sick part... girls have their dads wrapped around their finger... never helps when you know a hott girl w/ a hott car. I hope when I have kids that should I have a daughter I'd allow her to pull my strings.

[Arby 330]

i like the girls with sort of nice cars... then i dont mind riding in them, but they normally wanna ride with me. Gives you the upper hand in the relationship when ur the one giving the rides/

[2006bmw]

It all depends. Some kids don't let it go to their heads, others do. I have a couple of friends whose parents had money, and they drove cars I was real jealous of (still do, come to think of it). Both really good guys, both never had to work as teenagers, but both work like dogs now, even though they make lots of money doing it.

My boss' kid got a new Mustang GT for his 16th. Real nice kid though, gets great grades. Had to tell his dad not to mention anything about the car of the girl who came over to study, her dad got her a brand new 645i for her 16th. She was embarassed to be driving such an expensive car at her age. Some people are grounded, money or not. Others are complete assholes, without money.

Just because a kid has nice stuff does not automatically mean the kid does not value it. My parents never had the money to buy me a really nice car, but they would have if they could. I don't think I wouldn't have valued it. If I had both money and a kid, I probably would get the kid a nice car. It all depends on the individual.

[E90-4life]

Originally Posted by Arby 330

i like the girls with sort of nice cars... then i dont mind riding in them, but they normally wanna ride with me. Gives you the upper hand in the relationship when ur the one giving the rides/

Hmm, never been my experience that a car effect my realtionship w/ a member of the oppisite sex? Odd.